Award-winning director Niels Arden Oplev (the original The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo) has signed on to direct the pilot for TNT’s The Deep Mad Dark – a propulsive, layered mystery about an intoxicating friendship and how it leads to a brutal act of violence that drives two women in radically different ways.

Set against the landscape of modern Detroit, it explores the power certain friendships have to shape who we are – in ways both beautiful and dangerous.

Pilot Being Written by Megan Martin and Produced by John Wells Productions and Fabrik Entertainment, in Association with Warner Horizon Scripted Television and Studio T

Turner’s TNT has tapped Niels Arden Oplev to direct and executive-produce the pilot for The Deep Mad Dark, an atmospheric mystery-thriller about the complexities of friendship. The award-winning Danish filmmaker, whose credits include the original 2009 adaptation of The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo and the pilot episode of Mr. Robot, will direct from a script by Megan Martin (Animal Kingdom, Cult). The Deep Mad Dark is produced by John Wells Productions and Fabrik Entertainment, in association with Warner Horizon Scripted Television and Turner’s Studio T. Martin serves as executive producer, along with John Wells (ER, The West Wing, Animal Kingdom, Shameless, Southland), Fabrik CEO Henrik Bastin (Bosch, The Comedians, American Odyssey) and Kristen Campo (The Killing, The GoodGuys).

The Deep Mad Dark opens as Detroit neurosurgeon Polly Lewis embarks on an unorthodox study in the field of memory and trauma. Her once closest friend – the irreverent, brilliant Tash Hollander – comes home after living many years in a strange, off-the-grid community in Belize. Upon her return, Tash insinuates herself into Polly’s life in audacious ways that threaten everything Polly has achieved. But why?

The Deep Mad Dark is a propulsive, layered mystery about an intoxicating friendship and how it leads to a brutal act of violence that drives two women in radically different ways. Set against the landscape of modern Detroit, it explores the power certain friendships have to shape who we are – in ways both beautiful and dangerous.

Oplev began his career in his native Denmark and found early success with his first feature film, Portland, which premiered at the Berlin International Film Festival. Over the next decade, he directed a string of award-winning features and television episodes, capped by the 2009 adaptation of Stieg Larsson’s Nordic noir bestseller The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, which prompted him to move with his family to the United States for the next phase of his career.

Since coming to the U.S., Oplev has directed the pilot episodes for such series as Under the Dome, Unforgettable, Game of Silence and the upcoming Midnight, Texas. He also directed the 2013 feature film Dead Man Down, starring Colin Farrell and The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo‘s Noomi Rapace. And he returned to his native country to direct the unforgettable 2014 drama Speed Walking. Oplev most recently wrapped production on the psychological horror film Flatliners, starring Ellen Page, Diego Luna, Nina Dobrev, James Norton, Kiersey Clemons and Kiefer Sutherland. A sequel to the 1990 blockbuster of the same name, Flatliners is slated for release from Columbia Pictures in September.

About Warner Horizon Scripted Television

A division of the Warner Bros. Television Group, Warner Horizon Scripted Television was founded in 2006 and is one of the entertainment industry’s leading producers of dramatic and comedic programming for the cable and subscription/on-demand marketplace. Series produced by Warner Horizon Scripted Television include Animal Kingdom and Claws for TNT, People of Earth for TBS, Pretty Little Liars and Famous in Love for Freeform, Longmire and Fuller House for Netflix, Queen Sugar for OWN and the forthcoming American Woman for TV Land.

About TNT

TNT, a division of Turner, is one of cable’s Top 5 networks with young adults and home to cable’s most popular slate of original series, including Animal Kingdom, Good Behavior, The Last Ship, The Librarians, Major Crimes and the upcoming Claws, Will, The Alienist, and The Race Card. TNT is also the cable home to popular shows like Arrow, Grimm, Supernatural, Hawaii Five-0 and Bones and Castle; primetime specials, such as the Screen Actors Guild Awards®, the iHeartRadio Music Awards and the AFI Life Achievement Award; and championship sports coverage, including the NBA and the NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Championship.